1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the sport of bowling. More particularly, this invention pertains to a practice assistance device for enabling a bowler to regularize, and thereby enhance the consistency of his arm swing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The sport of bowling basically requires a single piece of player equipment, namely a spherical ball that is conventionally of rigid material such as polyurethane, hard rubber, even wood. It includes finger holes, preferably suited to the size and style of the bowler, by which the ball is grasped prior to release at the end of a stroke or swing of the bowler's arm.
While neither the bowler's basic equipment nor the object of the sport is, at first glance, particularly complicated, many factors enter into a bowler's awareness as he seeks to “perfect” his game. The skilled bowler will take into account, for example, his location and launch point in relation to the degree of oiling of the lane. Various adjustments reflect many factors, including, for example, the positioning of the pins that remain standing, the thickness and contour of the oil that protects the wooden lane, etc.
Adjustments (w.r.t. launch point, stance, etc.) made for varying lane conditions and the like are most effective when the bowler is able to make such adjustments based upon a predictable stroke of the bowler's arm. Otherwise, adjustments to stance, position and the like are made “in the dark”, reflect guesswork and have no particular reliability.
The bowler's stroke represents a composite motion that includes addressing the ball, and striding coordinated with backstroke and follow-through arm swings. The reduction of this relatively-complex sequence into a reliable predictable sequence of motions relies upon repetition. By coupling such repetition with analysis, one can multiply the benefits of repetitive practice of the bowler's stroke.
A number of factors complicate the ability of a bowler to engage in the type of repetition that would result in the grooving of his stroke. The most obvious type of practice requires the bowler to spend many hours by himself at the bowling alley, observing the action of his ball as he plays many practice rounds. In addition to the impracticality of such extensive practice, requiring absence from the home, for the average non-professional bowler, the feedback that he or she receives from such practice is complicated by factors, such as oiling of the boards of the alley, that prevent isolation of the action of the ball to the bowler's stroke. Furthermore, excessive practice with a bowling ball may result in arm strain.